Construction has begun in Barking town centre on the first section of the East London Transit (ELT) scheme.

The high-capacity bus system is to feature state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly double-decker buses and will run from Ilford to Dagenham Dock via Barking town centre. It will boost services for local residents and support the regeneration of east London.

A holistic design of the transit route corridor will result in improvements to the appearance of roads along the route with new open spaces, paving, trees, lighting, artistic illumination, plus well-lit, accessible bus stop environments offering service information, modern shelters.

Ten buses per hour are expected to carry up to 6.2m passengers in its first year of operation alone.

The ELT schemes will provide the necessary transport infrastructure for residents of the new Barking Riverside development, as well as improving connections between Ilford Barking and Dagenham Dock for people already living or working in the area.

Margaret Beckett, minister for the Thames Gateway, said: ‘This scheme will help to open up Barking Riverside, providing the easier and quicker connections that can cut out so much of the frustration and delay that businesses suffer and making jobs and services more accessible to local residents’.

Information based on Metro article of Tuesday, January 06